North Dakota reinstates abortion ban

Abortion is once again illegal in North Dakota. The state’s Supreme Court reversed a judge’s earlier ruling and reinstated a near-total ban on Friday, making it a felony crime for anyone to perform an abortion. Doctors who violate the ban could face up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine, and the only exceptions are for rape or incest in the first six weeks or to protect a mother’s life and health. Patients are protected against prosecution.